Project Team

Dale Cope, Ph.D., is the Principal Investigator for the WRITE project. Cope is a Research Project Director on the maps team with Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS) at University of Kansas. Previously, she was the Research Project Director for the Enhanced Learning Maps (ELM) project to create maps and resources for grades 2–8 English language arts and mathematics general education standards. Those maps are now available to all Alaska teachers. Prior to the ELM project, Cope was the project manager for standards-setting for the Alaska Measures of Progress assessment. She was responsible for assembling a stratified cross-section of Alaska educators for that activity. Cope earned her PhD in Educational Leadership and Business Administration from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She also holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum Development and has previous experience as a career and technical education teacher and administrator.

Dr. Russell Swinburne Romine, associate director of ATLAS, holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota. Swinburne Romine has more than 10 years of experience in the development of large-scale assessments using principles of Evidence-Centered Design and Universal Design for Learning. He oversees more than 70 staff members responsible for the design and delivery of operational assessments in ELA, mathematics, and science. In addition to his role as co-principal investigator on the Pathways for Instructionally Embedded Assessment (PIE) project, he is the principal investigator of the Shared Writing Instructional Model (SWIM) for Students with Intellectual Disabilities project and has been a co-investigator on two Enhanced Assessment Grants, Innovations in Science Maps, Assessment, and Reporting Technologies and the Use of Learning Maps as an Organizing Structure for Formative Assessment Project. He leads collaborative work with the National Center on Deaf-Blindness to develop learning map-based instructional resources for students with significant cognitive disabilities and dual sensory loss and is co-principal investigator on the Writing Interventions to Excel (WRITE) project, focused on instruction and assessment in writing for Alaska native students in high school career and technical education courses. He is a member of the American Educational Research Association, the National Council on Measurement in Education, and the Council for Exceptional Children. He has presented research nationally and contributed to technical reports for the Dynamic Learning Maps® (DLM®) Alternate Assessment Consortium and multiple funded projects.

Jennifer Kobrin, Ed.D., leads and contributes to ATLAS research and development projects. She earned her Ed.D. in educational statistics and measurement from Rutgers University and holds a master’s degree in educational research and evaluation from Boston College. Before joining ATLAS, she was a senior research scientist at Pearson and a research scientist at the College Board. Kobrin also spent three years directing institutional effectiveness and assessment offices in higher education. Her research interests include teachers’ use of formative assessment for instructional improvement, assessment development based on cognitive learning models, and assessment validity. Kobrin has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, technical reports, and conference papers on a variety of topics in educational measurement and assessment.

Kaela Levine supports the WRITE project as the project lead. As a member of the ATLAS Maps team, she also coordinates and contributes to several other ATLAS research projects. Levine earned her undergraduate degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder in integrative physiology and neuroscience. Prior to joining ATLAS, Levine worked in neuroimaging research at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.​

Holly Dubiel supports the WRITE project. Dubiel earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary language arts education, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, and a master’s degree in educational technology from the University of Kansas. She has a background in teaching secondary English language arts (ELA). Dubiel also has experience in instructional design and educational technology. She previously supported the Enhanced Learning Maps (ELM) project by developing the web application and the ELA portion of the learning map model.

Jonathan Schuster, Ph.D., supports the development of writing content for the WRITE maps. Schuster earned his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of Kansas. Schuster is interested in research related to the cognitive processes involved in reading comprehension and psycholinguistics with a specific focus on reading development. He currently has a concentrated interest in the impact of text complexity on reading comprehension, the investigation of how early communication topics (e.g., intentional communication, attend to words, and understanding events) contribute to later content learning for students who are deaf-blind with complex needs, and the acquisition of the critical skills involved in writing development for students with significant cognitive disabilities and with intellectual disabilities. Schuster also supports the development of writing content for the learning map model neighborhoods used in the Dynamic Learning Maps® (DLM®) alternate assessment and the Shared Writing Instructional Model (SWIM) project.

Matt Millar leads and contributes to activities on the ATLAS Implementation Logistics team. He focuses on learning management system coordination and professional development module creation. Before joining ATLAS, Millar worked as a Lead Animator and Production Manager in Johannesburg, South Africa. He led teams to complete work against strict deadlines and achieve multiple milestone deliveries.

Jane Lister supports the WRITE project using maps and interventions to improve written communication. She has experience as an instructional coach, applying best practices for teaching writing to secondary students. In addition, Lister has knowledge of and experience with Indigenous learners, English language learners, and special education students. As an Alaska Statewide Mentor, she flew to small villages to observe and collaborate with teachers. Lister also served as a literacy specialist, providing professional development and modeling lessons. She has teaching experience in all grade levels, including adult education, in West Virginia, Wyoming, Virginia, and her home state of Alaska. She earned her master of arts in literacy education from West Virginia University.

Sarah Hardman supports and contributes to activities on the ATLAS Implementation Logistics team. She focuses on event logistics, survey data collection, and reporting. Before joining ATLAS, Hardman worked in healthcare administration. She coordinated performance improvement and quality assurance programs for a psychiatric hospital.

Martin Rule, Ph.D., supports and contributes to activities on the ATLAS Implementation Logistics team. Rule earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Kansas. He focuses on learning management systems and professional development module creation and contributes to writing and editing. Before joining ATLAS, Rule taught philosophy, most recently at Park University. His research focuses on event quantification, identity claims concerning events described as mental and physical, and causal explanation.

Rebecca Swinburne Romine, Ph.D., is an Associate Research Professor in the Research Design and Analysis Unit at the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas. She has served as a co-investigator and statistical specialist on numerous NIH and IES funded projects in the areas of education and public health. Swinburne Romine is an expert in the areas of multilevel modeling, research design, and instrument development. At the Life Span Institute, she works on program evaluations and a wide range of other projects. Swinburne Romine contributes statistical and methodological work to small, single case design projects as well as large, randomized control studies.

Kandace Fleming, Ph.D., has expertise in multilevel and longitudinal analyses, single-subject and small sample statistical techniques, measurement, and instrument development. She is fluent in SPSS, SAS, and Mplus. Fleming has frequently served as co-principal investigator, co-investigator, or consultant as a quantitative methodologist on projects from NIH and IES in the areas of communication, educational intervention, individuals with disabilities, and public health. She has collaborated on numerous evaluations of educational interventions.

Steve Atwater, Ph.D., has more than 32 years of experience as an educator in the state of Alaska. Prior to retiring, Atwater served as the Executive Dean of the Alaska College of Education at the University of Alaska Southeast. He also served as Interim Dean of the School of Education, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Atwater was first with the University of Alaska as an Associate Vice President for K-12 Outreach. He started his teaching career in the Lower Yukon School District. Atwater moved to the Lake and Peninsula School District and taught for five years before becoming the curriculum coordinator. He then served as the superintendent for almost 8 years. As the superintendent at Lake and Peninsula, he led a quality schools initiative that dramatically improved student achievement. From 2009 to 2014, he served as the superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, and in 2013, he was selected by his peers as Alaska’s Superintendent of the Year. Atwater holds an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in education leadership from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Atwater has served on multiple nonprofit boards, including the board of Education Northwest and the Alaska SeaLife Center.